Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the reopening of Islamabad's Red Mosque, a former hotbed of radical Islamic activity that was the scene of fierce fighting in July between government troops and militants.The Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) should be opened to the public from morning prayer on Wednesday, a two-member panel of judges ruled during a hearing of a case on the bloody events. The court also directed authorities to register murder cases against those responsible for the military assault, which followed a stand-off with radical students and clerics lasting several months.

Although the order is officially said to have come from the government, Pakistan's military ruler, President General Pervez Musharraf, is thought to have given the final signal to attack.

The court further ordered the reconstruction of the Jamia Hafsa madrassa Islamic school adjoining by the mosque, the ruins of which were bulldozed after the battle.However, the judges imposed a ban on any sort of political activities at the premises.

"A ban on any sort of political activities at the premises" - yeah, right.